DEAD and DEAH box families ATP-dependent helicases signatures

A number of eukaryotic and prokaryotic proteins have been characterized [1,2,3] on the basis of their structural similarity. They all seem to be involved
in ATP-dependent, nucleic-acid unwinding. Proteins currently known to belong
to this family are:

Initiation factor eIF-4A. Found in eukaryotes, this protein is a subunit of
a high molecular weight complex involved in 5'cap recognition and the
binding of mRNA to ribosomes. It is an ATP-dependent RNA-helicase.

PRP5 and PRP28. These yeast proteins are involved in various ATP-requiring
steps of the pre-mRNA splicing process.

Pl10, a mouse protein expressed specifically during spermatogenesis.

An3, a Xenopus putative RNA helicase, closely related to Pl10.

SPP81/DED1 and DBP1, two yeast proteins probably involved in pre-mRNA
splicing and related to Pl10.

Caenorhabditis elegans helicase glh-1.

MSS116, a yeast protein required for mitochondrial splicing.

SPB4, a yeast protein involved in the maturation of 25S ribosomal RNA.

p68, a human nuclear antigen. p68 has ATPase and DNA-helicase activities in
vitro. It is involved in cell growth and division.

All these proteins share a number of conserved sequence motifs. Some of them
are specific to this family while others are shared by other ATP-binding
proteins or by proteins belonging to the helicases `superfamily' [4]. One
of these motifs, called the 'D-E-A-D-box', represents a special version of the
B motif of ATP-binding proteins.

Some other proteins belong to a subfamily which have His instead of the second
Asp and are thus said to be 'D-E-A-H-box' proteins [3,5,6]. Proteins
currently known to belong to this subfamily are:

PRP2, PRP16, PRP22 and PRP43. These yeast proteins are all involved in
various ATP-requiring steps of the pre-mRNA splicing process.

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